What is Phytosterol?
一，Cholesterol and plant sterols（Phytosterol）
Plant sterols are a type of phytochemical that is a healthy component of plants, and are called phytosterols. Sterols are a type of lipid that exists in the cell membranes of animals and plants. Phytochemicals are the Greek word for "plant" and refer to antioxidants contained in plants. Sterols that are components of the cell membranes of plants such as vegetables, fruits, and grains are collectively called plant sterols. They are called the "seventh nutrient" because of their effect of preventing aging and lifestyle-related diseases, and there are more than 40 types of plant sterols known, including β-sitosterol, campesterol, and sigmasterol. Although similar in shape to cholesterol, plant sterols are not absorbed in the small intestine. Plant sterols are said to suppress the absorption of cholesterol and lower the proportion of bad (LDL) cholesterol in the blood, and are used in foods to prevent lifestyle-related diseases. They are also expected to improve urinary problems caused by prostatic hypertrophy. It is a white solid with a distinctive odor and is fat-soluble, so it does not dissolve in water but does dissolve in alcohol. It has a wide range of uses, including as a medicine, food additive, and cosmetics, and is an ingredient that is useful in a variety of situations. Phytosterols are one of the components that make up plant cells and are found widely in plants. They are characterized by being found in large amounts in the germ of beans and grains. Both phytosterols and cholesterol are types of lipids, but phytosterols are components of plant cell membranes and cholesterol is a component of animal cell membranes. While cholesterol is absorbed in the body, phytosterols are hardly absorbed at all.Phytosterols are obtained during the vegetable oil extraction process.
二，The necessity of ingesting plant sterols
Plant sterols are found in plant foods and plant oils (especially rice oil), and humans ingest about 300 mg of plant sterols daily from vegetables, fruits, and plant oils.Plant sterols are not nutrients, so they do not necessarily need to be ingested.However, it has been well known for more than 70 years that plant sterols have the effect of lowering serum total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol concentrations, and they have been added to various foods and used in foods for specified health uses (FOSHU).The three leading causes of death are malignant neoplasms (tumors), heart disease, and cerebrovascular disease, and arteriosclerotic diseases, which include heart disease and cerebrovascular disease, account for 30% of all deaths.It is said that one in three people over the age of 20 has hypercholesterolemia (total serum cholesterol concentration of 220 mg/dL or higher), which is thought to be the main cause of arteriosclerotic diseases.Atherosclerosis is a condition triggered by the penetration of low-density lipoproteins (LDL) into vascular endothelial cells, and many epidemiological studies have reported that elevated serum total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol concentrations play a major role in the onset of atherosclerosis.Plant sterols, which have the effect of lowering serum total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol, are functional ingredients that should be actively ingested in order to prevent such atherosclerotic diseases.
三, Benefits of plant sterols
1. Effect of improving urinary disorders
Plant sterols have the effect of improving toilet troubles caused by prostate enlargement. The prostate tends to enlarge with age. As the condition progresses, you may feel discomfort when urinating.Plant sterols have anti-inflammatory effects, cholesterol-lowering effects, and sex hormone suppression effects, which can improve toilet troubles.
2. Combination with cholesterol biosynthesis inhibitors
Plant sterols can be used in combination with cholesterol biosynthesis inhibitors. It has been reported that when hypercholesterolemia patients receiving HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor (statin) treatment ingest a plant sterol-enriched food (2.5 g plant sterol/day), LDL-cholesterol concentrations are reduced by 10–15%. Statin drugs suppress cholesterol synthesis in the liver to lower LDL-cholesterol concentrations in the blood, while plant sterols suppress cholesterol absorption in the small intestine, so it is thought that using both drugs in combination will have a greater effect.
3. Immunity-boosting effect
Research has shown that some plant sterols activate natural killer cells (NK cells), a type of immune cell, which can kill pathogens that have invaded the body and make it harder to get sick. This effect is said to be effective in boosting immunity.
4. Reduction in the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD)
No research has directly examined the effect of plant sterol intake in reducing the incidence of CHD, but many clinical trials have confirmed that plant sterols lower serum total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol.
5. Reduction in triglycerides
Like cholesterol, triglycerides are a type of blood lipid.There are four types of blood lipids: cholesterol, triglycerides, phospholipids, and free fatty acids.Triglycerides function primarily as an energy storage substance in the body.Excessive triglycerides can cause various health problems, such as accelerating obesity and arteriosclerosis. There have been reports of ingesting plant sterols improving high neutral fat levels and suppressing the rise in neutral fat levels in the blood after meals. Plant sterols reduce not only LDL-cholesterol but also high neutral fat levels, suppressing excess lipids in the blood and preventing arteriosclerosis and the various arteriosclerotic diseases it causes, such as cerebral infarction and myocardial infarction.
四, Intake of plant sterols
The amount of plant sterol needed to lower cholesterol is 1000mg per day, but the amount actually consumed from daily meals is about 100-400mg. Therefore, it is effective to supplement the deficiency with oils or supplements that contain plant sterols.
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